Leo Gomez, 1991 Fleer Ultra #16

Before Leo Gomez settled on his customary uniform number 10, he wore #11 briefly with the Orioles. In an awkward segue, 11 is also the number of chemotherapy treatments that my wife Janet has remaining. Two days ago, she had her first treatment of the second round of chemo drugs - Taxol, in this case. So far, the side effects are significantly less harsh than they were with the first combo of A-C meds (Adriamycin and Cytoxan). So hopefully she won't face too many additional hardships as we prepare for the birth of our child and those intensive early weeks of parenthood. There has been one excellent piece of news in the meantime: at Janet's pre-chemo checkup on Friday, the physician's assistant couldn't find any traces of the tumor in her breast by touch. We are winning this fight.

It's been about two and a half months since Janet was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, and I'm still trying to take stock of everything. I poured out a great deal of my thoughts in a post over at Janet's blog, and if you'd like to read that sort of thing, you can do so here. Thanks once again for your support, prayers, and positive thoughts and words.

Billy Ripken, 1991 Fleer Ultra #23

My Saturday morning deviated from the usual routine. Instead of staying in bed until lunchtime, I got up and drove down to the Inner Harbor to meet an Internet friend for beers at 9 AM. Said friend would be Jon Springer, whose Mets by the Numbers website provides an excellent resource for New York Mets history through the lens of uniform numbers. It was the inspiration for my own (since-neglected...I REALLY need to update sometime in 2014) NumerOlogy Orioles uniform number site. I contacted Jon while I was still in the planning stages of my own site way back in 2007 to get advice and guidance, and he encouraged me right from the start. We've never met in person before, but he was in Baltimore for the annual Fiesta 5K, a Johns Hopkins-sponsored charity race to raise funds and awareness for ALS research. Jon's sister Jen lost her battle with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, back in 2011. He and his team were running in her memory. I'm not in adequate 5K condition, but I did make a last-minute donation to his cause and arranged to meet Jon at the Mex tequila bar at Power Plant Live after the race.

The weather was beautiful here this morning, so we sat at the outdoor bar for nearly three hours talking about baseball, the wonders of Elkton and Rising Sun (Jon worked at the Cecil Whig newspaper after college), and even a bit of 1980's pro wrestling. We also swapped stories about Billy Ripken's unprofessional behavior. I've written about my own experiences with Billy before, but Jon had the pleasure of being flat refused by #3 when he asked for a minute of his time for a post-game quote for the Whig. So it goes. I also got my new/old friend Jon to sign my copy of his book, which he seemed delighted to see when I pulled it from my pocket.

I'm glad we finally got to meet and bond a bit over our mutual hobbies. Maybe we can do it again next year.

Craig Worthington, 1991 Fleer Ultra #26

Craig Worthington's 48th birthday is today, which probably happened because he stopped playing for the Orioles 22 years ago and you lost track of him, you insensitive person you. But the former International League MVP didn't just disappear from the face of the earth after the O's traded him to San Diego in the spring of 1992, you know. Where in the world is (was) Craig Worthington? Let's play:

1992: Released by the Padres at the end of Spring Training. Signed with the Indians three weeks later, put up a .794 OPS in 90 games at AAA Colorado Springs. Went 4-for-24 in a late-season cameo in Cleveland, and was released.

1993-1994: Played two full seasons for the Cubs' AAA Iowa affiliate, tallied a combined 30 homers and 135 RBI. Did not play in the majors at all.

1995: During the players' strike, he signed with the Reds as a free agent, was claimed in the Rule 5 draft by the Phillies, and was returned to Cincinnati prior to Opening Day. Hit .318/.381/.484 in 81 games at AAA Indianapolis, and collected five hits in 18 at-bats for the Reds in a 10-game stint. In mid-August, Craig was traded to the Rangers for Stephen Larkin (Barry's younger brother) and cash. Playing once again for former O's skipper Johnny Oates, Worthington mustered a scant .661 OPS in 26 games.

1996: A baker's dozen worth of games in Texas, another 15 at AAA Oklahoma City, and a June 12 release. That was the end of Craig's time in affiliated pro ball, but not the end of his playing career. He played briefly for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan near season's end.

1997: Worthington went south of the border to play for the Monterrey Sultanes. No statistics are available on his Baseball Reference minor league register.

1998-2000: Craig's final act, as is the case for many ballplayers, was in the independent leagues. He totaled 196 games over three seasons for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League. His batting line: .271/.378/.471 with 34 home runs and 124 RBI. He would have at least briefly crossed paths with a few other ex-Orioles, including Joe Borowski, Jeff McKnight, John Mitchell, and Tom O'Malley (the team's manager).

So there you have it. More than you could possibly ever need to know about the post-Baltimore playing career of Craig Worthington, a decade spent largely in obscurity. As I try to remind myself, he accomplished more within his abilities than most pro baseball players.

Chris Hoiles, 1991 Fleer Ultra #17

As if I needed another reason to like Chris Hoiles, I found out from his Twitter feed (@c23hoiles) that he was also watching Wrestlemania on pay-per-view last night. In case you were wondering, he was suitably impressed by the Hell in a Cell bout between the Undertaker and Triple H. I would have to agree that it was very entertaining, and that's coming from someone who generally dislikes Triple H.

Oh, and there's some slightly more universally accessible news about Chris Hoiles today. The Orioles announced that he will be receiving the ceremonial first pitch before Friday's Opening Day game. That pitch will be thrown by Rick Sutcliffe, the other half of the Birds' battery in the first game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. It should be a fine way to kick off the 20th-anniversary season of the finest ballpark in the major leagues.

Dave Johnson, 1991 Fleer Ultra #18

Two days ago I briefly mentioned that the Orioles had acquired Steven Johnson as one of the players in the George Sherrill trade. I wanted to touch back on that, because it really is a heartwarming story. Steven's father is Dave Johnson, the man pictured above. Dave was a hometown boy made good, an Overlea High and Baltimore City Community College grad who survived eight years in the minor leagues to eventually become one of the best starters on the Oriole staff in 1989-1990 (1991 was a different story, but oh well). Of course he stayed in the Baltimore area and raised his kids here, so Steven grew up rooting for the O's just like his father.

Just a few months ago, the Birds drafted Al Bumbry's son (also named Steven), and Dave mentioned on his radio show with Tom Davis that his own son was disappointed when the team didn't draft him in 2005. At the time, Dave encouraged him by telling him something along the lines of, "at least you know the Dodgers drafted you because they want you and think you're talented, instead of just doing me a favor". (I may have paraphrased that very awkwardly.) The younger Johnson has had a somewhat slow climb through the minors, but he's still very young (21) and has showed improvement in the last two years. In fact, Fangraphs just ranked him 14th out of the 35 prospects that were traded in July. He projects as a back-end starter or a reliever in the major leagues.

I wasn't around to hear it, but supposedly Dave was on the radio when he heard that his boy was joining the Baltimore organization. At that moment, he was overcome with emotion and choked up on air. It's the kind of human touch that makes me proud to be an Orioles fan.

Randy Milligan, 1991 Fleer Ultra #20

This Thursday, Randy "Moose" Milligan will be celebrating not only Thanksgiving, but also his 47th birthday. It stands to reason that he has a lot to give thanks for. It's important to have perspective in what has become a very trying time for increasing numbers of people. More than ever before, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. There are more poor, as well. The United States, and the world at large, are in the midst of the largest economic recession in the past few decades. Jobs are disappearing, homes are facing foreclosure.

Looking at things from this vantage point, I've been very fortunate. I have a stable job that pays well, and a roof over my head. I can afford to feed and clothe myself, with enough left over for diversion like these cards. I spend a lot of time throughout the year complaining about my long commute to work, or shouting at the television when the Orioles blow a game. But if these are my most pressing concerns on a day-to-day basis, I'm doing alright.

Chances are that most of us are soon to get swept up in the runaway consumerism of the Christmas season, and Thanksgiving comes with its own focus on conspicuous consumption. I'm going to follow the lead of baseball blog Walkoff Walk and urge you to make a donation to your local food bank. Every dollar helps provide meals for families less fortunate than yours or mine. You can find a list with links to a food bank in each Major League Baseball city here. If you wish to donate elsewhere, you can probably find it on the Google. Thanks for humoring my philanthropic side.